International travel safety biennial communication

Dear UIC campus community,

We write to remind all UIC faculty, staff and students about traveling safely and the need for preapproval for and reporting of university-authorized or sponsored international travel funded by the university or other sources. All faculty, staff and students traveling internationally on UIC business must, according to the International Travel Safety Policy, enroll in the International Travel Safety portal before traveling and to receive reimbursement.

Per UIC’s International Travel Safety Policy, students traveling to a country with an elevated Travel Advisory from the U.S. Department of State (“Level 3: Reconsider Travel” and “Level 4: Do Not Travel”) or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“Level 3: Avoid Nonessential Travel”) are subject to additional review by the Office of Global Engagement. To determine if the country to which you are traveling has an elevated travel advisory, please visit the U.S. Department of State – Travel Advisories and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Travelers’ Health.

Faculty and staff traveling internationally must also have their travel approved by their supervisor or unit executive officer before travel, according to the procedures established in their unit. Once approved by their supervisor or unit executive officer and enrolled in the International Travel Safety portal, faculty and staff will receive comprehensive insurance at no additional cost through UIC’s insurance provider (Gallagher). Students will be directed via the International Travel Safety portal to enroll in the system-approved Gallagher insurance at cost.

Please note that UIC’s insurance provider, Gallagher, monitors global geopolitical situations and maintains an active list of countries/regions with war risk. If faculty, staff or students are approved to travel for university business to a country or region that is on this list, some important insurance benefits will not be provided without the purchase of a war risk endorsement through Gallagher. The university requires that a war risk endorsement be purchased in these cases. Please contact sao@uic.edu for the list of war risk countries or for more information.

Faculty and staff who plan to travel internationally as part of an outside activity must receive preapproval for the international travel through UIC Research-COI. Faculty and staff whose travel is paid for by any entity other than UIC as part of their UIC activities must receive preapproval under the Educational Materials and Missions exception to the Ethics Act. Purely personal travel should be reported to your supervisor or unit executive officer, but travelers should not enroll in the International Travel Safety portal for this travel.

Faculty, staff and students who plan to travel internationally, particularly with UIC property (such as computers) or data, should review the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research travel guidance. This guidance includes recommendations for traveling with cellphones and information for travel laptops for researchers. These recommendations apply regardless of the purpose of travel.

Sincerely,

Karen Colley
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Joanna Groden
Vice Chancellor for Research

Matt Riley
Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Chief Information Officer

Neal R. McCrillis
Vice Provost for Global Engagement